MWT Cymru is proud to deliver the inaugural Mid Wales Tourism Awards for Powys, Ceredigion and Meirionnydd, with full support from Visit Wales, local authorities, and the Mid Wales Regional Forum. 
 
They are now seeking support from selected sponsors and partners that share their commitment to championing the tourism sector in Mid Wales. This is an unprecedented opportunity for sponsors to raise their profile and demonstrate support towards hundreds of tourism businesses and organisations that are so important to Mid Wales’ continuing prosperity. An awards ceremony will take place on October 17th 2019 at The Hafren in Newtown, with overall winners going forward to the national Visit Wales Tourism Awards in 2020.
Sponsorship enables you to be associated with businesses and individuals operating at the highest level within the sector.
 
Please call MWT Cymru on 01654 702653 for details, or see www.midwalestourismawards.co.uk/sponsorship for more information and to request a sponsorship pack.

A NEW walking festival celebrating seven years of the 870-mile Wales Coast Path will come to Saundersfoot this May. The festival aims to encourage people across Wales to get outdoors, meet with others and appreciate our beautiful landscapes.

On the 12th May during Wales Tourism Week a selection of new walks organised by the Wales Coast Path and Ramblers Cymru will showcase the fascinating landscape and unique wildlife along the Pembrokeshire stretch of the coastal path. The festival will promote the variety of walking routes on offer around the Pembrokeshire coast and give walkers the chance to experience breath taking views from coast to countryside.
 
From Saundersfoot’s industrial past to the area’s unique rock formations and edible finds along the coast, the festival brings together local experts and guides to give a unique insight into the area’s geography, wildlife and history.
 
The festival programme features six free walks including a Saundersfoot Beach Clean with Keep Wales Tidy and a historical look around the harbour.
 
12th May Festival Programme:
09:45 - Saundersfoot to Waterwynch Bay
09:45 - Saundersfoot - Coast and Countryside
09:45 - Saundersfoot Heritage Park and Grove Colliery
10:00 - Saundersfoot Beach Clean - Keep Wales Tidy
10:30 - Saundersfoot to Wiseman’s Bridge
14:00 - Saundersfoot: Colby Woods and Amroth
 
The festival not only aims to showcase Wales’ beautiful coastline and countless natural assets, the Wales Coast Path Walking Festival will also boost local tourism along the path whilst encouraging residents to come together to celebrate the country’s iconic coastline.
 
Taking place 4th to 19th May 2019, the festival will feature over 40 new guided walks specifically designed to suit all ages and abilities, with the majority of the walks free to join.
 
From fully accessible and short family walks to nature walks and more challenging hikes, the festival aims to encourage people to enjoy outdoor exercise while exploring Wales’ iconic coastline. All walks will be led by experienced guides offering insights into the unique wildlife, fascinating history and culture that can be found along the way.
  
 
Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis-Thomas, said: “This festival is set to be an excellent addition to Wales’ Year of Discovery and a way for visitors and locals to discover more about our unique Wales Coast Path. I’m delighted that the guided walks will encourage people to find out more about the landscape, history and wildlife associated with the coastal path and will also be an excellent way to be active while discovering more of Wales.”
 
Local authorities for Wales’ coastal regions, which include Pembrokeshire, Carmarthen and South Wales, will help support the event, along with partners Natural Resources Wales, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and a number of charities including Keep Wales Tidy.
 
The festival, which coincides with Visit Wales’ Year of Discovery 2019, will follow a theme of discovery which will be prominent throughout. The Wales Coast Path is the world’s first uninterrupted route along a national coast and gives hikers access to undiscovered sections of the coast with stunning views, rugged landscapes and rare wildlife.
 
To learn more about the Wales Coast Path walking festival or book walks visit: www.walescoastpath.gov.uk
 
Admission free (additional charges for linear walks where transport is required). Register to attend the festival: www.eventbrite.co.uk/wales-coast-path-walking-festival
​

In 2020 the current strategy for tourism called Partnership for Growth, comes to an end. Visit Wales are now considering progress and looking to plan the way forward.  As part of their work towards developing the next set of priorities they want to work with the tourism industry in Wales and the wider visitor economy to explore the challenges and opportunities that face the industry.  

To assist with this, there are 10 questions they are asking the industry to think about.  Responses will shape the discussion and help to develop a new Welsh action plan for the future of Tourism.  To join in the conversation click on this link Let’s Shape the Future document and you can view the short film showcasing the thoughts of some sector stakeholders to stimulate ideas. You don't need to answer all 10 questions, but you can provide your feedback here. 

The consultation closes 31 May 2019.  To provide views on any specific topic or issue relating to tourism you can email  future.tourism@gov.wales. You can also keep an eye on @VisitWalesBiz twitter and engage by sharing and using #FutureWalesTourism

Wales Coast Path Walking Festival starts this weekend! Please share and come and support!
Mae Gwyl Gerdded Llwybr Arfordir Cymru yn dechrau’r penwythnos yma!  Plis rhanwch a dewch i gefnogi!
  
ENG:  https://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk/latest-news/news-and-press-releases/join-us-at-the-new-wales-coast-path-walking-festival/?lang=en
CY:  https://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk/latest-news/news-and-press-releases/join-us-at-the-new-wales-coast-path-walking-festival/?lang=cy

Full report here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201719/ldselect/ldrurecon/330/33002.htm

The Lords Select Committee on the Rural Economy has just published a report on the rural economy where the central recommendation is that the Government should produce a specific Rural Strategy. The report  recognises the importance of tourism to the rural economy (it is particularly keen on the Tourism Industry Deal) and contains a large number of recommendations that are related to tourism. Among these are:

• Local Government—together with public bodies should develop their own local rural strategies consistent with the Government framework, and be responsible and accountable for their implementation.
• The Government must bring forward the consultation on the Shared Prosperity Fund as soon as possible and give much more information on its proposed scope to enable rural businesses and communities to begin planning for the future.
• The Shared Prosperity Fund must incorporate a dedicated, ring-fenced rural funding stream for supporting rural economies and communities.
• Funding made available through the Shared Prosperity Fund must also be designed to meet the needs of rural SMEs including micro and family businesses which predominate in rural areas.
• It is important that rural areas, and businesses within them, are not left behind during the rollout of 5G for mobile services. Ofcom must monitor mobile network operators’ progress in achieving their coverage obligations.
• The Government’s post-Brexit immigration proposals should be monitored to ensure that the employment needs of rural businesses, particularly for seasonal work, do not suffer.
• The Government should review the impact that the revaluation and current multiplier levels for business rates are having on rural businesses. There is also an urgent need to review the impact of small business and rural rate relief provisions on rural pubs, local shops.
• The Government should investigate whether the current tax system is putting off farmers and rural small businesses from investing in diversification with regard to both complexity and financial disincentives.
• The Tourism Sector Deal has potential to provide a more consistent and systematic support to the rural tourism sector. It is important that this deal be  rural proofed and its implementation monitored in rural areas in particular.​
• Government should undertake a full review of funding streams to rural public transport as part of a new rural strategy. The aspiration should be to develop a “single transport investment pot” that could be used to better support rural transport using a place-based approach, in collaboration with local authorities and other public bodies
• Government should also support targeted investment in the maintenance of rural road networks in collaboration with local authorities, to identify those networks outside the major routes where investment would be most important in supporting rural economic development

Thi​s year the theme is  ‘Strength through Partnership - Team Wales’. 

​A target of more than 20 events are being aimed for to celebrate Wales Tourism Week 2019 which begins on Saturday (May 11th).  The WTA, along with its partners, calls on tourism organisations and businesses across the country to organise events during the week that promote the value of partnership and raise awareness of the industry’s importance to the Welsh economy.

For a quick guide to planning a familiarisation event for a local politician please download the pack from the link below. You can register by clicking the link on the Wales Tourism Week pages or by going to https://www.wta.org.uk/meetings.html

Wales Tourism Week events may be added to the WTA website meetings page by simply clicking the submit button and completing the online form. For a quick guide to planning a familiarisation event for a local politician please download the pack from the link below.

Currently, personal data can move between organisations across the EU/EEA without restrictions as the UK has a common data protection regime in the GDPR. However, once the UK leaves the EU that situation will change. UK Government has already committed to allowing data to continue to move into the EU/EEA, as well as to the 13 countries the EU has already deemed as having adequate data protection systems in place, so transfers out of the UK will not be affected. However, transfers into the UK from EU member states may be affected.
 
The EU does have a number of mechanisms to allow data to be transferred to countries outside the EU – the main one being the adequacy decision which confirms a third country’s data protection regime is adequate compared to the GDPR. UK Government has confirmed they intend to seek an adequacy decision from the EU after exit, but this process cannot start until after we have left. Receiving an adequacy decision may take some time. The UK Government is committed to seeking an adequacy decision and the process for this will commence during the transition period, should a deal be agreed. However, if the UK leaves without a deal, there will be a period of time where the UK is a third country without an adequacy decision and transfers out of the EU to the UK may be in breach of the GDPR. This may mean that data flows will be disrupted as businesses in the EU who transfer data in breach of the GDPR may be subject to extensive fines.
 
DCMS and Welsh Government are working to ensure that businesses across Wales are aware of the issue and are aware of the guidance which has been prepared by the Information Commissioner, and the support available to businesses to prepare for any impact they may identify. If you have any queries please contact: data-ready@culture.gov.uk 

The Lords Select Committee on Regenerating Seaside Towns and Communities has published its report on the inquiry it held last year on the Future of Seaside Communities. This report contains a large number of recommendations that are tourism related. The main Tourism-related recommendations include:
 
Tourism Action Zones

• We recommend that, in taking forward the Tourism Sector Deal, the Government ensures that any such Sector Deal gives full account to the important role played by seaside towns in the tourism industry.
• We recommend that any initial designation of Tourism Action Zones must include seaside towns.
• We support progress made so far by tourist organisations in outlining what Tourism Action Zones should focus upon, and we recommend that Tourism Action Zones must include: prioritisation of infrastructure provision, both transport and digital; access to support and research to help develop tourism products; and support for local businesses to develop the digital skills they require to reach new markets and remain competitive.
• Seaside towns need to be able to invest in the buildings and assets that make them unique. We recommend that Tourism Action Zones should include greater freedoms for local authorities to access capital funds for projects aimed at improving the public realm and other cultural and heritage assets.

VAT

• We recommend that the Government undertakes further research into the potential impact of cutting VAT on tourism-related activities.
• We recommend that the Government keeps the issue of tourism VAT under review and considers the introduction of pilot areas where the impact of a reduction of VAT on tourism related activities could be assessed.

 
Transport

• We recommend that the Department for Transport, informed by the advice of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, prioritises improvements to the coastal transport network when it takes decisions on planning and investment. This should be informed by a detailed review of the coastal transport network which includes an assessment of where the greatest socio-economic benefits can be realised through improvements to transport connectivity.

 
Heritage

• We consider that the restoration and enhancement of the public realm and of cultural heritage assets through capital investment is of paramount importance in supporting the wider economy in seaside towns, and recommend that the Government takes this into account is part of their ongoing review of local authority resources.

  
Govt Support

• We recommend that the Government takes a more strategic approach to the co-ordination of coastal communities’ policy at official-level across different government departments. Reinstating the cross Whitehall official level meeting to discuss coastal communities would be a first step in achieving this.

​The free, on-line toolkit has been designed to be easy to use and navigate and with contents based on what coastal businesses have requested. The toolkit brings together in one place a host of useful tips, information and advice. Whether you are a novice to the job of marketing or a seasoned pro, the tool kit contains a range of downloadable material including photographs and videos. Available here:
www.walescoastpath.gov.uk/about-us/marketing-toolkit

The Government has produced a Communications Toolkit for explaining impacts on travellers to the UK in both a deal and no deal scenario. The toolkit contains key information and messages for use including images and text that can be either printed or added to website. In addition to the toolkit, there is also the following website which is continually updated  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visiting-the-uk-after-brexit